they face huge challenges: fights over the sequester and the debt ceiling coming around march first. and as sylvia hall reports, there are low expectations lawmakers can get the job done peacefully. >> reporter: returning lawmakers didn't get much of a break after that bruising fiscal cliff battle. they're back in washington today, swearing in the new congress. demographically, it's the most diverse group ever sworn in. but politically, this congress is expected to deliver the same gridlock as the last one. >> the problem is that the congress is very divided, not only are the two houses divided, but each party is further away from the middle than has been in the past, and the public- the american public itself, is very divided. >> reporter: they'll start the year by tackling some big issues left over from last session. first in the house, a bill to help victims of superstorm sandy. house speaker john boehner nixed the vote in the last hours of 2012, drawing a firestorm of criticism. it comes up in the house in two parts- the first tomorrow, and the other mid-january. >> the next act